Buffers are strips of trees, plants and other vegetation. Buffers are also mandatory "no build" zones along local creeks and lakes. The buffer provides a natural boundary between development and our local waterways.

What buffers do:

Decrease erosion of stream banks and shorelines

Reduce some flood risks by storing excess storm water runoff

Moderate stream temperatures and sunlight, keeping fish and other aquatic life healthy

Provide places for wildlife to build nests and find food

It is illegal to put a structure in a buffer or do any type of construction. Buffer restrictions even apply to septic systems, swimming pools, hard-surface pathways, and grading the soil. Local buffer ordinances also limit or ban mowing, cutting and removing plants in buffer areas.

Rules about buffers can be complicated. Requirements for water quality buffers are included in three local ordinances:

Also, Goose Creek Buffers apply in sections of Mint Hill. These fall under state regulations.

The width of a water quality buffer and the activities that are allowed in that buffer can vary, depending on which ordinance applies. If more than one buffer ordinance applies, the ordinance that is most restrictive is the one that must be followed.

Effective buffers have:

A healthy, undisturbed cover of vegetation

Native plants that are well-adapted to the local climate, pests and disease

A tree canopy that shades surface water and moderates water temperatures

A dense root mass for reducing soil erosion

Little need for maintenance as the buffer mimics natural conditions

No buildings; no construction; no asphalt, concrete, brick surfaces; and no fill dirt